Music CD - The Velvet Underground, Nico: The Velvet Underground & Nico

	Music CD: The Velvet Underground & Nico Artist: The Velvet Underground, Nico List Price: $9.98 Our Price: $5.41 Your Save: $ 4.57 ( 46% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: Polydor / Umgd
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Tracks: 1. Sunday Morning 2. I'm Waiting For The Man 3. Femme Fatale 4. Venus in Furs 5. Run Run Run 6. All Tomorrow's Parties 7. Heroin 8. There She Goes Again 9. I'll Be Your Mirror 10. The Black Angel's Death Song 11. European Sun
Binding: Audio CD EAN: 0731453125025 Format: Original recording reissued Label: Polydor / Umgd Manufacturer: Polydor / Umgd Number Of Discs: 1 Publication Date: 1996 Publisher: Polydor / Umgd Release Date: 1996-05-07 Studio: Polydor / Umgd
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Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: in response to a few of the negative reviews Comment: I feel that you do the band a disservice by writing off the lyrics as striving for "shock value." Lou Reed studied under and was recognized as a talented writer by the late Delmore Schwartz. Delmore was a talented writer of both prose and verse, an John Berryman [America's greatest poet] dedicated a section of The Dream Songs [America's greatest poem], to Schwartz. My point: Reed was/is a poet [much like Bob Dylan - though, Dylan was/is a more talented poet]. Since Ezra Pound said that it was the poet's objective to "make it new," it has been unacceptable for any serious poet to write commonplace verse. Really, looking back to John Donne and even further back to Ovid, the best poets were always breaking new ground. As far as songwriters go, Reed and Dylan were more like Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson, Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, or Lightnin' Hopkins than the typical songwriter of the 60s. Instead of writing off 'Heroin' as a simple drug song - which I initially did - view it as an existential poem. It's very much a piece that struggles between hedonism and spirituality - one that wants to make a clear dash for hedonism, but is definitely haunted by spiritual undertones. Think: Nietzsche on one shoulder and Kierkegaard on the other [for a very simple explanation]. As a song of spiritual crisis, I liken it a great deal to Blind Willie Johnson's "Lord, I just can't keep from crying sometimes," where Johnson struggles between faith and a Job-like existence. Instead of writing off "Venus in Furs" as a song that aims to shock via sadism, view the psychological implications. The writing is painfully precise: "Strike dear mistress and cure his heart." As for the music, like with Reed's lyrics, John Cale comes from a school of minimalism. As Bob Dylan pointed out, a great song can be comprised of one chord - see John Lee Hooker, whose minimalism influenced Bo Diddley. John Cale's viola ranges from delicate to hellish - depending on what each given song or moment needs. That is why The Velvets are music for "thinking" people. The songs work as art. As most children will take Pizza Hut and Gummy Bears over a quality dining experience, most people will take Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys or Frank Sinatra over The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, or the great bluesmen of the past. Customer Rating: Summary: Smooth as Velvet Comment: The digital version of this CD The Velvet Underground is excellent. I used to be the proud owner of the vinyl version it was good but did not have the sharpness of the CD. I was so excited when I found the CD on Amazon as I still had this music in my head. Thank you Amazon from Linda John Customer Rating: Summary: Album is a Mixed Bag Comment: To this reviewer both those who love this record and those who hate it are both correct. The Velvet Underground & Nico represents both the best and the worst of popular music. There are flashes of brilliance as in "Venus in Furs," highly listenable tracks as those sung by Nico (who is an appropriate vocalist on these decadent tracks), and tracks that are almost unbearably depressing (as in "Heroin," hardly a pro-drug song and more a song about despair and hopelessness in mid-sixties NYC). However, the final two tracks absolutely kill the album, as they are unlistenable junk. While this album and the group are considered greats in rock, I think that's a little bit overblown. The album is certainly a product of its time, during which Andy Warhol was the big name in New York, and it reflects those times, including the seedy underbelly of the city, and it couldn't be made today. But is it the greatest album ever made? Hardly, although it certainly has some great moments. And it is an influential album in that many no-talents who heard it suddenly decided if the Velvets could make records and make money no matter the quality, they could, too. That's not necessarily a good thing. In short, this album and the Velvet Underground are acquired tastes that many people will never acquire and with some justification. Customer Rating: Summary: The Velvet Underground...a group ahead of it's time. Comment: From the first track to the last...each tune a great & howling tribute to almighty rock & roll! From Nico's Germanic, Icy voice to Lou Reed's honest, Intense delivery on tracks like "Sunday Morning" & "Heroin" this CD (or MP3) will give you your moneys worth. I highly reccomend this to anyone who likes honest, no bullsh** music delivered by those who've lived on the edge! Customer Rating: Summary: Lather, Rinse, Repeat, to Get the Stink of This One Off You! Comment: No matter what musical source I'm looking at, I see the proclamation that The Velvet Underground & Nico is the greatest album...ever! I've given this album a fair shake. And I cannot help but think that it is, all around, simply a fetid turd of an album. Now, I'm not about to tell you what to listen to. If to you it is a magical album, then I'm glad you get some enjoyment out of it. But when an album is lauded as the best album in the history of music, I must protest, when I find the vocals to be bland and uninspired, the percussion to be sloppy, the songwriting to be lacking in emotion, and the band, in general, sounding as if another week's worth of practice would have done them a world of good. Perhaps those in love with this album are simply a very vocal minority. Perhaps my lack of a heroin habit is making me far too rational in my criticisms of this album. But I generally feel that this is overrated swill that a lot of people like because a lot of other people have told them it's "groundbreaking." Sorry if you got fooled and bought this one. You shouldn't try so hard to fit in. More Reviews
Editorial Reviews: When the Velvets recorded this debut, they were best known as the protégés of Andy Warhol (who designed the sleeve), and as a grating, combustive live band. Fueled by drummer Moe Tucker's no-nonsense wham and John Cale's howling viola, some of the straight-up rock & roll and arty noise extravaganzas here bear that out. But before Lou Reed was singing about sadomasochism and drug deals and writing lyrics inspired by his favorite poets, he was a pop songwriter, and this album has some of his prettiest tunes, mostly sung by Nico, the German dark angel who left the band after this disc. Even the sordid rockers are underscored by graceful pop tricks, like the two-chord flutter at the center of the classic "Heroin." --Douglas Wolk